On May 23, 2018, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the sale of public property calls for transparency and that the identity of buyers at public auctions must be disclosed in order to guard against fraud and abuse. The particular case before the Court concerned the sale of confiscated sports memorabilia. We note that the taking and sale of private property by a governmental entity calls for even greater transparency to counter abuses because the process involves additional room for fraud by way of improper taking.

A quote from the NJ Supreme Court opinion:

“…the sale of government property at a public auction is a quintessential public event that calls for transparency. To guard against possible abuses, the public has a right to know what property was sold, at what price, and to whom.”